Bestselling author talks about King Philip’s War Sept. 21

Michael Tougias is a New York Times bestselling author and co-author of 30 books for adults and 7 for children and young adults. On Wednesday, Sept. 21, Tougias will be in Machias as a guest of Porter Memorial Library, to give a talk and slide presentation on King Philip’s War, the war between the Colonists and Native Americans in 1675-76. The event is the second in the library’s Authors at The Last Page series, which is supported by a grant from Maine Public Library Fund. The Tougias presentation will take place at 7 p.m. at the UMM Performing Arts Center. Admission is free.

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Vintage local 'Kitchen Songs' to warm EAC stage Sept. 16

Eastport Arts Center will host Barbara Toothpick and Alan HorseRadish in a concert titled Kitchen Songs on Friday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. Written in the 1970s and 1980s in Pembroke by Toothpick, and sung at events and festivals back then, the songs are still relevant, and often hilarious, today. Though in the past, HorseRadish provided musical accompaniment for Toothpick’s vocals, the couple will sing together for this show. “After all these years, we have learned to sing together,” says Toothpick.

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Respect

by Jonathan Reisman

 

One reader recently chastised me for my “disrespectful tone” towards President Brandon and Vice President Kamala, archly opining that my arguments against “President Biden and Vice-President Harris” lost credibility due to my lack of respect.

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The other Battle of Machias commemorated

Most folks in this area are at least somewhat familiar with the Battle of the Margaretta fought in 1775, the first Naval battle of the American Revolution. They are less familiar, however, with the larger, and perhaps more important event which took place two years later, the Siege of Machias, also known as the Battle of the Rim. 

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Expressions Bakery adds croissants, coffee cake, and fresh bread to Machias’s menu

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Whoopie pie lovers already knew they could grab that iconic Maine confection and a cup of coffee at Expressions Floral, Bakery, and Unique Gifts in Machias. Now they can stop in for breakfast treats and so much more because the Expressions Bakery just got bigger. Owner Sandi Malagara says her expanded menu was created in response to customer demand.

“We had numerous people asking for more baked goods, so we wanted to offer them and see how the town would respond,” says Malagara. 

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Kingfish deemed aquaculture, not industry; board review proceeds

by Nancy Beal

The third meeting of the Jonesport planning board to examine the application of Kingfish Maine for a $110 million land-based fish farm on 94 acres on Chandler Bay took place in the Jonesport Volunteer Fire Department hangar Sept. 1. Having reviewed the multitude of documents and plans in the context of the town’s Land Use Ordinance and found it permittable, the five-member board turned its attention to whether the project met the standards of the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance.

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J-BHS board compromises on cell phone policy; other policies approved

by Nancy Beal

At a school board meeting attended by several parents and high school students Aug. 31, the CSD school committee that governs Jonesport-Beals High School listened to complaints and suggestions from that audience and reached a consensus on the use of cell phones in school, as well as a discipline code and a simplified dress code.

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Fiber festival and harvest fair welcome autumn to Machias

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

September’s morning temperatures are just chilly enough to warrant closing the windows at night, the first sign of fall Downeast. Nothing keeps a Mainer toasty like wool, and Rhonda Craven is on a mission to spread the word that natural fibers, like wool, are the very best kind.

“I’ve always worked to educate people on the properties of wool,” says Craven, who founded the festival in 2018. “It’s a renewable resource, it’s environmentally wonderful, and you can’t beat it for warmth.”

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Route 1’s bumpy days are numbered: Collins announces $33M to rehab 68 miles from Machias to Calais

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Senator Susan Collins Friday, Sept. 9,  announced the Maine Department of Transportation will receive $33 million in funding to rehabilitate 68 miles of Route 1 through Washington County, stretching from Machias to Calais. 

In total, Collins secured $77.1 million in funding through the federal INFRA (Infrastructure for Rebuilding American) grant program, including $44 million to complete a two-lane 6.3-mile truck bypass of Presque Isle’s Main Street, also Route 1.

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In Harrington, Living History Heritage event will kick off a new tradition

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

The idea to host a gathering of living history reenactors came to Arthur and Linda Langley before the pandemic, and this weekend it’s coming to fruition. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Sept. 16-18, the public, historical reenactors, and anyone interested in local history is invited to attend the 1st Annual Living History Heritage event, to be held on Hardwood Point in Harrington.

Arthur says a wide range of people might enjoy the gathering.

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‘Dark Appalachian Folk’ act to appear at EAC

Eastport Arts Center is thrilled to host The Resonant Rogues in concert, Saturday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. The group’s dark Appalachian folk paints a picture of their lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina and on the road. Anchored by the songwriting pair of Sparrow (banjo, accordion) and Keith Smith (guitar), the duo has traveled the byways and highways of America and crossed the oceans with instruments in tow. From riding freight trains to building their own homestead, the pair are no strangers to blazing unconventional trails.

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Energy Policy Malpractice

by Jonathan Reisman

 

In 1973 I got my driver’s license, purchased a 1966 Delta 88 (8 miles/gallon) for $500 with my saved paper route earnings, drove it to Waterville, Maine, to start college, and watched the price of gasoline double to $.70/gallon during the first OPEC oil embargo. America had gasoline rationing and long lines at gas stations. President Nixon was hobbled/distracted by Watergate, and the country seemed to be paralyzed.

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Whitney reunion draws 140 descendants to Jonesboro, home to 8 generations of Whitneys

August 27, 2022, was proclaimed by the Town of Jonesboro as Whitney Family Day. Approximately 140 descendants of Joel and Mary (Weston) Whitney celebrated by gathering at the home of Scott and Jean Whitney at the end of Whitney St. in Jonesboro. 

Going back to 1767, when Joel Whitney and Mary Weston Whitney moved to Jonesboro, then known as Chandler's River, the Whitney's have flourished from the Atlantic to the Pacific, including Alaska. 

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King Philip’s War: Bestselling author to speak on America’s bloodiest conflict, next week in Machias

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon 

It was the bloodiest conflict in American history, it began 100 years — almost to the day —  before Machias’s Battle of the Margaretta, and it’s the subject of the next Authors at the Last Page event series, sponsored by Porter Memorial Library.

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Route 1’s bumpy days are numbered: Collins announces $33M for road rehab

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Senator Susan Collins Friday, Sept. 9,  announced the Maine Department of Transportation will receive $33 million in funding to rehabilitate 68 miles of Route 1 through Washington County, stretching from Machias to Calais. 

In total, Collins secured $77.1 million in funding through the federal INFRA (Infrastructure for Rebuilding American) grant program, including $44 million to complete a two-lane 6.3-mile truck bypass of Presque Isle’s Main Street, also Route 1.

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Jonesport to vote on liquor consumption

by Nancy Beal

This November, when Mainers pick their next governor and congressmen, Jonesporters will also get a say on whether they want to break with tradition and allow the on-premise consumption of liquor. The measure has come to the front as the result of a plan by Dr. Wayne Yee, a dentist-entrepreneur and new owner of Harbor House, to create a restaurant in the historic building overlooking the marina and Sawyer’s Cove.

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Fuel farm opens at Machias Valley Airport; hangars next on project list

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

For the first time in decades, pilots can fuel up their aircraft at Machias Valley Municipal Airport thanks to the construction of a new fuel farm, completed last month.

The plan for a fuel farm has been on the town’s horizon for more than five years and is included in the airport’s capital improvement plan, devised in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

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Washington County SO and MDEA arrest mother, son following East Machias drug investigation

As the result of a joint investigation with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, agents assigned to Maine Drug Enforcement’s Downeast Task Force (MDEA) have arrested a mother and son from East Machias, along with two men from the Bronx, New York, and charged them all with drug trafficking offenses.

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Sheriff’s office reports 8-hour Lubec standoff resolved without injury

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon 

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office today reported that an eight-hour standoff in Lubec on Tuesday, Sept. 13, was resolved without injury.

According to the SO’s release, a Lubec woman called 911 at 7:41 p.m. reporting that she had been threatened by a neighbor. When Washington County SO Deputies arrived, it was reported that Jacob Elliott, 37, of Lubec had approached the neighbor’s property and threatened to assault and kill members of the household. 

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Raider football off to strong start with 2-0 record

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

The newly reorganized Washington Academy Raiders football club team is celebrating two back-to-back wins, following their 38-8 win over South China last Friday, Sept. 16. The previous Friday the team drove to Berlin, New Hampshire, for their first game, which they also won 36-6.

Coach Rich Olivares spoke to coach Lupe Soto in a live-stream interview last week, for WQDY and WCRQ radio in Calais.

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Support for lobster industry spreads as Maine faces federal challenge

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon 

Students at Machias Memorial High School and Milbridge Elementary School are invited to dress in red this Friday, Sept. 23, in a show of support for Maine’s lobster industry. The schools’ displays are only two of dozens popping up around the county as Maine’s most lucrative fishery faces damaging regulatory changes from the federal government, which asserts Maine lobstermen could be harming the endangered right whale.

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Local biz and lobster fishery the focus of LePage’s public tour Sept. 26

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Former governor and current Republican candidate for governor Paul LePage will visit western Washington County next Monday, Sept. 26, making six different public stops between Milbridge and Machias.

Chipman’s Wharf in Milbridge will be the first campaign stop at 9 a.m. to offer people on the county’s western edge a chance to meet with LePage, according to visit organizer David Whitney of Marshfield. Then, the tour will progress to Lynch Hill Farm in Harrington from 10 to 10:45 a.m.

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Pouliots soon to step away from Thirsty Moose Cafe in Machias

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

After 24 years operating a restaurant and bar in Machias, Sylvia Pouliot says she and her husband Ron will be selling or closing the Thirsty Moose.

“We have it on the market, and someone is looking at it,” said Pouliot, who has listed the business with First Choice Realty. “Whether they’re buying it or not, we are closing.”

“The Moose,” as it’s known locally, could close as soon as the last day of September unless new owners would like to keep the business open. 

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Jonesport planners probe Kingfish on water quality

by Nancy Beal

Kingfish Maine, an American subsidy of a Dutch aquaculture firm that wants to locate a $110 million land-based fish farm on 94 acres in Jonesport on Chandler Bay, returned to the town’s planning board September 8 for a fourth session on the most extensive application ever to come before the five-member panel. Nearly 50 members of the public attended, and at least half stayed for the three-hour session, listening from seats in the high school bleachers.

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Community solar projects under development in Machias, Machiasport, and Whitneyville

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Preparations are underway for the construction of three local community solar projects in Machias, Machiasport, and Whitneyville. All three sites are under development by Loki Solar and will be constructed and owned by Minnesota-based Novel Energy, also doing business as Dublin LLC.

In Machias, clearing and land work have begun on a 20-acre parcel located near Route 1 just north of the Kennebec Road. Site work has also begun on the Machiasport solar farm, which is located not far from Downeast Correctional Facility, in Starboard.

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Column compliments, complaints, and calumny

by Jonathan Reisman

 

A number of readers have responded to recent columns. To some, I am a hero, championing conservative thought and giving voice to many frustrated by a biased corporate media. To others, I am a dangerous, ignorant crank who writes poorly and should be ignored, censored, banished, or possibly all three.

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Generous prizes donated for Machias Arts Council’s Flash Fiction Contest coming up in October

Machias area businesses are donating several hundred dollars worth of prizes for winners of the first annual “Scarecrows of Machias” Flash Fiction Contest organized by the Machias Arts Council.

The contest, open to residents of any age in Washington County, calls for short stories of around 500 words or less about scarecrows. The contest runs parallel to the Machias Bay Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Scarecrow Contest, which awards prizes for actual scarecrows created by local residents and businesses.

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Machias FD scores heavy rescue truck

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

In spite of the nationwide equipment shortage and after more than a year of searching, the Machias Fire Department has scored a new-to-Machias heavy rescue truck, winning a competitive bid sent out by the town of Windham.

“We looked at numerous trucks all over the country, we probably have looked at 30 or so, but nothing would meet what we were looking for price-wise,” said Machias Fire Chief Joey Dennison. 

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Everyone can go back to school with Wash. Co. Adult and Community Ed

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Most of us are familiar with the concept of adult education and probably associate it with the old GED given to people who left high school early but still wanted a diploma. 

Today, it’s no longer called a GED, it’s a HiSET (High School Equivalency Test), and that isn’t all that’s changed. Washington County Adult and Community Education (WCACE) helps students of all ages with everything from getting a high school diploma to resume writing to learning how to play the ukulele. 

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Kingfish and its opponents continue at odds; Jonesport Planning Board queries Maine DEP

by Nancy Beal

At the fifth appearance of Kingfish Maine before the Jonesport planning board Sept. 22, the company’s spokesmen and their opponents continued to accuse and defend the effect on water quality of the proposed $110 million land-based fish farm that the American subsidiary of a Dutch company plans to build on 94 acres adjacent to Jonesport’s Chandler Bay.

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Spectrum pitches cable deal to Jonesport

by Nancy Beal

Representatives of Charter Communications, parent company of Spectrum, came to Jonesport last week to pitch a plan that would bring internet to all households in town. The company had been invited by selectmen, who have been exploring ways to use the American Rescuer Plan Act (ARPA) money that communities received during the Covid-19 pandemic to help with municipal expenses. Broadband build-out is one of the allowable expenditures. Jonesport received $369,000.

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On Lobsters, Right Whales and the Endangered Species Act

by Jonathan Reisman

 

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Whiting man to be remembered for his role in Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum organization will travel to Whiting next week to place a marker on the grave of Brigadier General John Crane for his service during the Boston Tea Party.

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Eastport Health Care expanding in Machias; accepting new patients now

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

At one time a pharmacy, then a dollar store, 160 Dublin Street will soon house a state-of-the-art medical center as part of Eastport Health Care’s expansion in Machias. 

EHC CEO Ellen Krajewski says her organization purchased the property in July.

“We have a design, and we hope to be moved in by the end of September 2023,” said Krajewski.

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